Türkiye's defense exports hit a record $4.4 billion last year, surging from $248 million 20 years ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.
While in 2002, when the Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power, there were only 56 Turkish companies in the defense sector, by 2022 the figure topped 2,000, he added.
"We will not stop (advancing) in the defense industry," he said.
Türkiye's budget last year allocated $1.5 billion for defense industry R&D, up from $49 million, Erdoğan added.
On defense industry developments, the president said: "We're bringing the Anadolu, which will be the world's first ship with unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), into service this year."
The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV to be deployed on the Anadolu amphibious assault ship will take its maiden flight this year, he added.
Bayraktar TB3s offer users the ability to perform operations with armed unmanned aerial vehicles in overseas missions.
Erdoğan stressed that this year the heavy-class attack helicopter Atak-2 will also take its maiden flight.
